1,721,280 research outputs found
Sustainability of food systems and reinforcement of the science-policy interface: Re-focusing on priorities
Full text linkDrivers of water and land use embodied in international soybean trade
No full textInternational trade of soybeans has increased substantially over recent decades. Its environmental toll is routinely linked to deforestation and biodiversity loss. However, soybean trade also imposes a huge demand on water and land resources, in individual countries and globally. Such a burden, and its underlying sectoral drivers, is frequently overlooked within the current research and policy agenda around sustainable soybean supply chains. This study evaluates the Virtual Water Trade (VWT) and Virtual Land Trade (VLT) of global soybean trade and reveals which countries and sectors are responsible. Soybean related VWT and VLT are estimated by combining physical import and export data and associated resource use information from 166 countries during the period 2000-2016. Over this period global virtual soybean-related virtual water and land trade grew by 298% and 250% respectively. In 2016, 812 cm(3) of water use and 41 Mha of land use was directly embodied in international soybean trade. This corresponds to one-third of water and land used to grow soybean globally. Soybean-related VWT and VLT was mainly driven by demand in China, the Netherlands and Mexico, for soybean grown in the US, Brazil and Argentina. Animal feed is responsible for around three-quarters of this resource use. A reduction in the consumption of animal products or switching to direct human consumption of soybeans would reduce the overall demand for soybean production and associated resource use. Although welcome, calls for deforestation-free soybean supply chains do not go far enough to reduce the large, global water and land demand of soybean trade. The research and policy agenda around soybean trade warrants a broader focus on water and land use and whether this represents an efficient, and logical, allocation of resources within the context of food provision and national resource security. Crown Copyright (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Impact of COVID-19 outbreak measures of lockdown on the Italian Carbon Footprint
No full textStringent lockdown measures implemented in Italy to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 are generating unprecedented economic impacts. However, the environmental consequences associated with the temporary shutdown and recovery of industrial and commercial activities are still not fully understood. Using the well-known carbon footprint (CF) indicator, this paper provides a comprehensive estimation of environmental effects due to the COVID-19 outbreak lockdown measures in Italy. Our aim was to quantify the CF associated with the consumption of energy by any economic activity and region in Italy during the lockdown, and then compare these environmental burdens with the CF calculated for analogous periods from 2015 to 2019 (similar to March and April). Complementarily, we also conducted a scenario analysis to estimate the post-lockdown CF impact in Italy. A consumption-based approach was applied according to the principles of the established Life Cycle Assessment method. The CF was therefore quantified as a sum of direct and indirect greenhouse gases (GHGs) released from domestically produced and imported energy metabolism flows, excluding the exports. Our findings indicate that the CF in the lockdown period is similar to-20% lower than themean CF calculated for the past. This means avoided GHGs in between similar to 5.6 and similar to 10.6 Mt CO(2)e. Results further suggest that a tendency occurs towards higher impact savings in the Northern regions, on average similar to 230 kt CO(2)e of GHGs avoided by province (against similar to 110-130 kt CO(2)e in central and Southern provinces). Not surprisingly, these are the utmost industrialized areas of Italy and have been the ones mostly affected by the outbreak. Despite our CF estimates are not free of uncertainties, our research offers quantitative insights to start understanding the magnitude generated by such an exceptional lockdown event in Italy on climate change, and to complement current scientific efforts investigating the relationships between air pollution and the spread of COVID-19. (c) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Is it beneficial to use biogas in the Danish transport sector? – An environmental-economic analysis
No full textDenmark is ambitious in the green transition of its transport sector. The biogas has potentials to substitute diesel as the vehicle fuel. In this paper, we examine the whole chain of biogas utilisation (biomass supply, biogas production and distribution, and fuel substitution) from both environmental and economic perspectives. We find that with low/high biomass supply potentials, the saved greenhouse gas emissions range from 0.89 to 1.66 million tons/2.19 to 4.27 million tons CO(2)e (carbon dioxide equivalent). The soil carbon stock could increase 52310/124770 tons with low/high biomass supply potentials (measured as remaining carbon in soil in 100 years after application of digestate into soil). The biogas plant owners can obtain a return of investment ranging from 10.78% to 13.62% depending on biomass supply potentials and biogas production technologies. The farmers can save up to 717.93 and 1382.1 million DKK (Danish krone) by substituting mineral P (phosphorus) and N (nitrogen) fertilisers with low biomass supply potential and 1.74 and 3.44 billion DKK with high biomass supply potential. Finally, the vehicle users have incentives to use biogas because of its cost advantage. However, there are also some potential barriers and uncertainties in achieving the green transition, e.g. initial investment for CO2 conversion equipment and diesel-vehicle users' sunk costs, which could require suitable policy supports. We suggest that using biogas in heavy-duty vehicles could be an effective way to reduce carbon emissions in the transport sector. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Implications of a consumption-based accounting of greenhouse gas emissions from global dairy cattle systems
Full text linkGreenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from dairy systems at the national level are typically estimated at the point of production, following guidelines for national reporting. However, exploring the emissions allocated to the point of consumption also provides key insights into reducing emissions across all stages (inputs, production, trade, and consumption). In this study, the GHG emissions associated with global dairy cattle products were estimated using a consumption-based accounting approach. The analysis was based on data from 2015, covering 254 territories and considering 21 dairy cattle commodities. Our findings reveal that international trade in dairy products is dominated by a few countries, with the top 20 net importing/exporting countries accounting for about 70% of global emissions embodied in trade. Although, at the global level, GHG emissions embodied in the international trade of dairy cattle products represented a relatively small share of the total (133 Mt CO2 eq, 9%), they were significant at the country level, particularly for countries heavily involved in trade. In some cases, imports accounted for more than 50% of consumption-related emissions. Trade among European Union countries was relevant representing 32% of the global GHG emission linked with the international trade of dairy products. By adopting a system-wide approach, this study aims to provide novel and critical information to reduce GHG emissions from the global dairy sector, contributing to initiatives such as Pathways to Dairy Net Zero. The results are discussed in the context of the importance of dairy products for global food security. The consumption-based analysis presented represents a different and original perspective in the computation of GHG emissions at the national level for a specific and relevant food item. This approach, guiding policymakers in identifying key impact areas across all stages of the supply chain, can foster the transition to low-carbon dairy products, and support circular economy practices
Drivers and trade-offs of multiple environmental stressors from global rice
No full textRice is a staple food supplying a large share of calories in so many countries and requiring a large amount of land and water. Rice is also a substantial source of methane (CH4) emissions. In this paper, water and land use, and CH4 emissions from rice in 167 countries during the period2000-2016 are estimated.A Physical Trade Analysis based on a Material Flow Analysis is developed to estimate the virtual water, land and emissions linked to international rice trade and to final consumption. Globally, while water and land use, and CH4 emissions from rice slightly grew from 2000 to 2016 (7-8%), a substantial improvement of the production efficiency resulted in saving of 187 Gm(3) of green water, 82 Gm(3) of blue water, 40 Mha of land and 31 ktonnes of CH4 emissions (2000-2016). It implies that the main driver is the volume of rice produced. Domestic consumption covered the largest share (94%) whereas international trade had low significance (6%). However, for some Asiatic and African countries the trade contribution was relevant.The multiple assessment developed in this study allows the parallel evaluation of three environmental stressors revealing potential drivers and trade-offs among them. In particular, we find that when improving the yield by 0.5 tonnes/ha, a global reduction of about 10% for each stressor is recorded. The approach used in this paper constitutes a more advanced information for policymakersand an innovative tool upon which environmental policies may be based. (C) 2020 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
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